Sky Full of Holes

Fountains Of Wayne | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 2, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yep Roc Records
• ASIN: B004XD04AQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,233 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Summer Place

2. Richie and Ruben

3. Acela

4. Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart

5. Action

6. A Dip In the Ocean

7. Cold Comfort Flowers

8. A Road Song

9. Workingman's Hands

10. Hate To See You Like This

11. Radio Bar

12. Firelight Waltz

13. Cemetary Guns

Editorial Reviews

Unlike the iconic Ft. Wayne NJ garden store that inspired its name, Fountains of Wayne are still very much open for business. In fact, their new album Sky Full of Holes sounds like a whole new beginning for the band and its powerhouse songwriting duo Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger. Called, ''full-fledged art heroes'' by The Dean of Rock Critics Robert Christgau, FOW continue their reign as pop music masters, while Collingwood and Schlesinger also explore new frontiers within their unique respective songwriting aesthetics. Ranging from high-energy power pop to intimate, acoustic-driven ballads, Sky Full of Holes tracks ''The Summer Place'' and ''Richie And Ruben'' showcase the band's renowned storytelling abilities and flair for creating memorable characters; elsewhere, the album takes a more impressionistic approach, as in the shimmering ''Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart'' and the elegiac ''Cemetery Guns.'' Sky Full of Holes is Fountains' most successful distillation of their musical maxims to date, but it's also a whole hell of a lot of fun. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!!, August 2, 2011

By 

Polar Bear - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sky Full of Holes (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Bonus Version) (MP3 Download)

"Sky Full Of Holes" is the 5th studio record from Fountains of Wayne and clearly one of their best. Named after a now-closed ornament store in NJ, they have a unique power pop sound with vivid and inspiring lyrics. Filled with catchy hooks and sweet melodies, "Sky" shows the growth and evolution of the band since their break through song "Stacy's Mom." Their songs tell a variety of stories, some entertaining, some funny, and some sad. "Richie and Ruben" is a perfect example. Written about two guys blow all their friends' money on get-rich-quick schemes, I found myself laughing from the start with lines like this: "They opened up a bar called Living Hell/Right from the start, it didn't go too well." "Acela" has some awesome blues-influenced pop grooves that will have you bouncing around in no time. "A Road Song" features some country-style twangs and is about a love letter written by a rock musician. It has some cool hooks and you'll be singing the chorus long after the song is over. If you like your music crisp and fresh with a lot of witty, humorous lyrics, you're going to love this! Give it a try and you won't be disappointed.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of 2011's Best!, August 2, 2011

By 

The Headphone Transmissions "Matt" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sky Full of Holes (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Bonus Version) (MP3 Download)

Everyone who owned a radio between 2000 and the current day has likely heard "Stacy's Mom." And while that snarky, little masterpiece of a pop tune is still brilliant and timeless in its own right, Fountains of Wayne is much more than even a hit like "Stacy's Mom" allows.

Sky Full of Holes, the troupe's fifth official studio album, is a gorgeous collection of strikingly memorable powerpop songs. And while the Fountains have always been melodically brilliant, compositionally inventive, and infinitely witty- Sky Full of Holes is (somehow) easily their greatest project to date; and additionally, one of 2011's best releases.

Fountain leaders Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger are the modern-day Lennon/McCartney, and that's no exaggeration. Their uncanny ability to craft satiating singles and high-caliber pop tunes has gone nearly unmatched throughout the past decade- And though I rarely agree with the publication, Rolling Stone`s decision to name Fountains of Wayne "`the voice' of Generation X upon the collapse of Nirvana" is more than fitting.

Sky Full of Holes exemplifies this "voice" even more aptly than even culturally relevant hits such as "Valley of Malls" and "Someone to Love" did previously. Two off-beat entrepreneurs attempt to overcome the waning economy in "Richie and Ruben," the hardworking American gets an admirable nod in "Workingman's Hands," the overly-produced synth-pop of the the 2010's era is astutely parodied in "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart," and the album's poignant finale ("Cemetery Guns") is a military-themed requiem for the ages. In a nutshell, Sky is 2011's own personal soundtrack.

Not only is the lyrical material relevant; but also, the musical material is supreme in all respects. Production is crisp, but far from overdone (sample "Acela" for the greatest balance of raw and smooth). Arrangements are full, colourful, and appropriate (see "A Dip in the Ocean," "Radio Bar," and "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart" for the prime of the prime examples). Oh, and the melodies... And harmonies... They are effortless, yet completely flawless. "Cold Comfort Flowers," "Firelight Waltz," and "Action Hero" are the most noteworthy exemplifications, though all thirteen tunes are rich in the melodic department.

Basically, Sky Full of Holes is a must-own. Powerpop at its best, and one of the best of the year. Don't miss it.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!, August 2, 2011

By 

Polar Bear - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sky Full of Holes (Audio CD)

"Sky Full Of Holes" is the 5th studio record from Fountains of Wayne and clearly one of their best. Named after a now-closed ornament store in NJ, they have a unique power pop sound with vivid and inspiring lyrics. Filled with catchy hooks and sweet melodies, "Sky" shows the growth and evolution of the band since their break through song "Stacy's Mom." Their songs tell a variety of stories, some entertaining, some funny, and some sad. "Richie and Ruben" is a perfect example. Written about two guys blow all their friends' money on get-rich-quick schemes, I found myself laughing from the start with lines like this: "They opened up a bar called Living Hell/Right from the start, it didn't go too well." "Acela" has some awesome blues-influenced pop grooves that will have you bouncing around in no time. "A Road Song" features some country-style twangs and is about a love letter written by a rock musician. It has some cool hooks and you'll be singing the chorus long after the song is over. If you like your music crisp and fresh with a lot of witty, humorous lyrics, you're going to love this! Give it a try and you won't be disappointed.